April 27--The family of a man who died after falling out of a party bus in 2014 will receive $4 million from the company that owned the vehicle as part of a settlement reached earlier this week.
Christopher "C.J." Saraceno II was riding on a party bus traveling south on the 101 Freeway near Universal Studios Boulevard on Sept. 29 when the vehicle jerked. Saraceno, 24, lost his balance and fell down the stairs. The bus door then opened and Saraceno fell into the street, where he was struck by the bus' rear tires and other vehicles.
According to a California Highway Patrol report, the bus door was equipped with a faulty air compressor and did not lock properly. Even though the bus had been ordered off the road for safety reasons, it had been used 51 times since the order was issued, the CHP found.
Saraceno's family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Hyros Corp., the company that owned the van, in February 2014.
Later that year, district attorneys declined to file felony manslaughter charges against Ayrapet Kasabyan, the company's president.
Twitter: @byjsong
